Shloka 73
अध्याय ५८ — वानरध्वजस्य महेन्द्रास्त्रप्रयोगः
Chapter 58: Arjuna’s Deployment of the Indra-Weapon
अश्वत्थामा तु तत् कर्म हृदयेन महात्मन: । पूजयामास पार्थस्य कोप॑ं चास्याकरोद् भूशम्,अश्वत्थामाने महात्मा अर्जुनके उस पराक्रमकी मन-ही-मन भूरि-भूरि प्रशंसा की और उनपर अपना महान् क्रोध प्रकट किया
aśvatthāmā tu tat karma hṛdayena mahātmanaḥ | pūjayāmāsa pārthasya kopaṃ cāsyākarod bhūśam ||
Si Aśvatthāmā, sa loob-loob niya’y kinilala ang kadakilaan ng gawang iyon at pinuri sa puso ang makapangyarihang si Pārtha (Arjuna); ngunit kasabay nito’y hayagan niyang ipinamalas ang matinding poot laban sa kanya.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores an ethical insight: recognizing another’s excellence is natural and even virtuous, but allowing envy or rivalry to harden into uncontrolled anger is a moral danger. It portrays how inner respect can be overridden by outward hostility when pride and competition dominate.
The narrator reports Aśvatthāmā’s reaction to Arjuna’s notable deed: he privately admires and honors Arjuna’s prowess, yet he simultaneously expresses strong anger toward him, revealing a conflicted response shaped by rivalry.